IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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Sciences 
Corporation 


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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  IVIicroreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checlced  below. 


D 


D 


D 
D 


D 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I     I   Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommagAe 


Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurAe  et/ou  pellicula 


I      I   Cover  title  missing/ 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  gAographipues  en  couleur 

Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


I     I   Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 


Bound  with  other  material/ 
ReliA  avec  d'autres  documents 


Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  rellure  serr6e  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  intirieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajoutAes 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  ceia  6tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  At*  filmAes. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  supplAmentaires: 


L'Institut  a  microfilm*  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  iui  a  *t*  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  m*thode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiquAs  ci-dessous. 


T» 
to 


I — I   Coloured  pages/ 


D 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  film*  au  taux  de  r*duction  indiqu*  ci-dessous. 


Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommag*es 

Pages  restored  and/oi 

Pages  restaur*es  et/ou  pellicul*es 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxet 
Pages  H*coior*es,  tachet*es  ou  piqu*es 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  d*tach*es 

Showthroughy 
Transparence 

Quality  of  prir 

Qualit*  in*gale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  materii 
Comprend  du  mat*riel  suppi*mentaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  *dition  disponible 


I — I  Pages  damaged/ 

I — I  Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 

I — I  Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 

I     I  Pages  detached/ 

r~1  Showthrough/ 

r~~|  Quality  of  print  varies/ 

nn  Includes  supplementary  material/ 

I — I  Only  edition  available/ 


T» 

P< 
of 
fil 


Oi 
bi 
th 
si< 
ot 
fir 
sii 
or 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuiilet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  *t*  film*es  *  nouveau  de  fapon  * 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


T^ 
sh 
Til 

wl 

Ml 
dil 
on 
be 
rig 
ret 

VM 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

30X 

/ 

12X                            16X                            20X                            24X                            28X                            32X 

Tha  copy  filmed  h*r«  hat  b««n  raprodunod  thanks 
to  tha  ganaroaity  of: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 

Tha  imagaa  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  baat  quality 
posaibia  considaring  tha  condition  and  lagibility 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  Itaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  spacifications. 


Original  copias  in  printad  papar  covers  ara  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  beck  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — «»>  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 

Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


L'exempleire  film*  fut  reproduit  grAce  A  la 
g^nArosit*  da: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 

Lea  images  suivantas  ont  AtA  reproduites  avac  la 
plus  grand  soin.  compta  tenu  de  la  condition  at 
da  la  nattet*  de  I'eitemplBire  film*,  et  en 
conformity  avac  las  conditions  du  contrat  da 
filmage. 

Les  exemplairaa  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimAe  sont  filmAs  en  commen^ant 
par  la  premier  plat  at  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
darnlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration.  soit  par  la  second 
plat,  salon  la  caa.  Tous  les  autras  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  filmis  en  commenpant  par  la 
premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  derniAre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
darniire  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbols  — ^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE  ",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc..  peuvent  Atre 
filmAs  A  des  taux  de  reduction  diffArents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clichA.  il  est  filmA  A  partir 
de  Tangle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite. 
et  de  haut  en  bas.  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  nAcessaire.  Las  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mAthode. 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

•:i¥  w  b  y 


■^ 


SAN  jUAN  AND 
SECESSION 


Possible  Relation  to  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  —  Did 

General  Harney  Try  to  Make  Trouble  With  English 

to  Aid  the  Conspiracy  ?  —  A  Careful  Review 

of   His    Orders    and    the    Circumstances 

Attending  the  Disputed  Possessions 

During  the  Year  1859. 


/^'^ 


BY 


GRANVILLE  O.    HALLER, 

Colonel  U.  S.  A.,  Retired. 

(Captain  and  Brevet  Major,  Commanding  1  Company,  Fourth 
Infantry,  and  Fort  Townsend,  Wash.,  in  1859.) 


4t  $-.«»'' 


m. 


2t 


Is 


T/te  following  inierestinq  paper  on  the  con- 
troversy betiveen  the  English  and  United 
States  authorities  in  1859  for  tlie  possession 
of  San  Juan  island  was  read  by  Colonel 
Granville  0.  Haller,  of  Seattle,  at  the  meet- 
ing of  the  Loyal  Legion  on  Thursday 
evening,  Jan.  10,  1896,  at  the  Tacoma  hotel: 


Reprinted  for 
R.  L.  M'CORMICK. 


s 


m. 


2k 


SAN  JUAN  AND  SECESSION 


I 


N  1853.  by  act  of  congress,  that  portion  of  Oregon  territory  north  of 
the  Columbia  river  and  north  of  the  4flth  degree,  north  latitude,  to 
the  east  of  the  Columbia  river,  where  that  degree  crosses  said  river, 
was  set  apart  and  organized  as  Washington  territory. 

In  1853  the  autonomy  was  organized  by  Isaac  I.  Stevens,  the  first 
governor  (an  ex-engineer  officer  of  the  United  States  army,  highly 
distinguished  in  the  Mexican  war),  and  en  route  to  the  Pacific  coast 
conducted  a  railroad  survey  across  the  continent,  but  who  resigned 
to  accept  the  offices  of  governor  and  superintendent  of  Indian  affairs 
in  Washington  territory. 

In  1854  the  legislature  organized  counties  and  defined  their 
boundaries.  The  Haro  archipelago  was  included  in  Whatcom  county. 
When  the  assessor  went  the  roimds  of  his  county,  he  found  on  San  Juan  island  a 
large  fiock  of  -sheep,  and  assessed  them  as  the  property  of  the  Hudson  Bay  com- 
pany; the  chief  trader,  Mr.  Charles  John  Griffin,  notified  the  assessor  that  the 
island  belonged  to  Great  Britain.  When  the  tax  collector  called  to  collect  the 
taxes,  the  chief  trader  ignored  liim  and  his  credentials,  claiming  he  was  on  a 
British  isle.  The  sheriff'  then  visited  the  island  to  collect  delinquent  taxes,  when 
he  was  informed  that  the  island  belonged  to  her  majesty,  the  queen  of  Great 
Britain!  Whether  the  island  did  or  did  not  belong  to  the  queen  was  not  for  him 
to  decide;  he  had  come  to  collect  the  delinquent  taxes,  and,  not  receiving  pay.  he 
levied  on  a  band  of  sheep,  and  sold  at  public  auction  some  thirty  head  or  more 
to  cover  the  amount  assessed  and  the  costs  of  collecting. 

James  Douglass,  the  presiding  officer  of  the  Hudson  Bay  company  in  British 
A  .lerica,  and  the  governor  of  Vancouver  island,  in  May,  1855,  protested  to  the 
governor  of  Washington  territorj'  (Stevens),  against  such  proceedings,  assuring 
him  that  San  Juan  and  all  the  islands  of  the  Haro  archipelago  were  within  his 
jurisdiction  and  under  the  protection  of  the  British  laws;  that  he  had  the  orders 
of  her  majesty's  ministers  to  treat  these  islands  as  part  of  the  British  dominions; 
all,  of  course,  to  little  effect. 

He  then  caused  an  account  to  be  made  out,  showing  the  number  of  rams  and 
owes  seized  and  sold,  and  of  constructive  damages  resulting  from  the  removal  of 
llieir  rams  and  loss  thereby  of  lambs.  These  he  caused  to  be  forwarded  to  the 
British  minister  Jn  Washington  City.  D.  C,  to  present  to  the  secretary  of  state 
of  the  United  States,  and  demand  indemnity  for  the  past  and  security  for  the 
f'.it'ire.  These  papers  were  duly  presented  to  Governor  Marcy  (secretary  imder 
President  Pierce),  who,  on  referring  to  the  treaty  to  ascertain  if  San  Juan  island 
was  English  soil  or  not,  was  confounded  by  the  peculiar  wording  of  the  first  article 
of  the  treaty — no  channel  was  named,  so  the  boundary  was  to  follow  the  middle 
of  a  channel  undetermined.  His  broad  mind  recognized  at  once  that  San  Junn 
island  was  within  "fairly  disputed  limits."  The  treaty  not  having  disposed  of  it, 
the  island  had  not  been  relieved  from  the  operation  of  the  treaty  of  1827,  of  joint 
occupation. 

On  the  14th  of  July,  1855,  Governor  Marcy,  in  that  terse  1  ,j;lish  of  his,  wrote 
to  Governor  Stevens  that  "He    (the  president)   has   instructer'  me  to  say  to  you 


202257 


—  3 


SAN      JUAN      AND      SECESSION 


tliat  the  officers  of  the  territory  should  abstain  from  all  acts  on  disputed  grounds 
which  are  calculated  to  provoke  any  conflicts,  so  far  as  it  can  be  done  without 
implying  the  concession  to  the  authority  of  (Jreat  Britain  of  an  exclusive  right 
over  the  premises. 

"The  title  ought  to  be  settled  before  either  party  should  exclude  the  other 
by  force,  or  exercise  complete  and  exclusive  sovereign  rights  within  fairly  dis- 
puted limits.  Application  will  be  made  to  the  British  government  to  interpose 
with  the  local  authorities  on  the  northern  borders  of  our  territory  to  abstain 
from  like  acts  of  exclusive  ownership,  with  the  explicit  understanding  that  any 
forbearance  on  either  side  to  assert  the  rights,  respectively,  shall  not  be  construed 
into  any  concession  to  the  adverse  party. 

"By  a  conciliatory  and  moderate  course  on  both  sides,  it  is  sincerely  hoped 
that  all  difficulties  will  be  avoided  until  an  adjustment  of  the  boundary  line  can 
be  made  in  a  manner  mutually  satisfactory.  The  government  of  the  United 
States  will  do  what  it  can  to  have  the  line  established  at  an  early  period." 

To  understand  the  sound  common  sense  of  Governor  Marcy's  letter,  we  must 
remember  that  after  Lord  Aberdeen  had  intimated  to  Mr.  McLane,  our  minister 
in  Jjondon  (May  15,  1840),  that  he  would  instruct  Mr.  Pakenham  to  offer  the 
4\)t\\  parallel  to  salt  water  (Birch's  bay),  then  deflect  so  as  to  allow  England  all 
of  V'ancouver  island;  that  he  would  probably  name  the  middle  of  the  Canal  de 
Haro  for  the  boundary  line,  we  find  (May  10,  1840),  that  Sir  John  Pelly,  governor 
of  the  Hudson  Bay  companj'  in  Tjondon,  obtained  an  interview  and  effected  a 
change  in  his  lordship's  mind,  and,  in  the  project  of  the  treaty.  Lord  Aberdeen 
aimed  at  Captain  Vancouver's  red  line  (on  his,  Vancouver's,  chart  of  the  Gulf  of 
Georgia,  used  at  the  time),  showing  the  track  of  his  vessel  from  Admiralty  inlet 
northward,  which  he  found  navigable,  west  of  Whidby  island,  as  the  boundary 
line  he  desired.  Sir  John  Pelly  wanted  that  finest  of  the  islands,  as  he  called 
Whidby  island,  also,  but  he  admitted  that  he  did  not  see  how  that  could  be 
included.     Lord  Russell  to  Lord  Lyons,  December  10,  1859,  well  says: 

"Had  Lord  Aberdeen  and  Sir  John  Pelly  obtained  the  consent  of  the  United 
States  government  to  their  views  in  favor  of  the  channel  marked  as  navigable 
by  Vancouver,  or  had  Mr.  McLane  and  Mr.  Senator  Benton  obtained  the  assent 
of  Lord  Aberdeen  and  Mr.  Pakenham  to  their  opinion  that  Haro's  strait  was  the 
\;hannel  intended  by  the  treaty,  such  agreement  would  have  been  conclusive.  But 
o.'parate  interpretations,  not  communicated  to  the  other  party  to  a  treaty,  can- 
rot  be  taken  as  decisive  in  a  disputed  question." 

The  utmost  harmony  was  re-established  between  the  local  governments;  the 
United  States  had  sent  out,  as  the  boundary  commissioner,  Archibald  Campbell, 
Esq.,  and  Great  Britain  had  sent  Captain  James  Prevost  as  first  commissioner 
ard  Captain  George  H.  Richards  as  assistant  commissioner  and  hydrographer,  both 
of  R.  N.,  to  determine  the  water  boundary.  When  General  Harney  visited  Puget 
Sound,  Mr.  Campbell  was  located  near  the  4!)th  parallel,  engaged  in  establishing 
and  marking  the  international  boundary  line  on  land;  the  English  commissioners 
were  engaged  in  hydrographic  surveys.  The  commissioners  had  held  repeated 
meetings  and  presented  their  claims,  but  the  wording  of  the  treaty  did  not  con- 
form to  either  claim.  Tlie  English  commissioners  admitted  that  they  were  too 
far  to  the  east,  but  their  surveys  discovered  a  channel  for  deep  sea-going  vessels 
just  ea*t  of  San  Juan  island,  which  conformed  more  nearly  to  the  wording  of  the 
treaty,  and  they  offered  to  compromise  on  that.    Mr.  Campbell  insisted  the  Canal 


—  4 


SAN      JUAN      AND      SECESSION 


de  Hiuo  separated  V'aneouver's  island  from  the  wintineiit,  and  was  tlic  line  Mr. 
McLano  had  assented  to,  etc.  The  commissioners  had  reported  to  their  respective 
f;overnnients  as  far  as  they  had  gone,  leaving  tlieir  snperiors  to  resolve  the 
boundary  problem. 

Another  matter  (when  (General  Harney  visited  the  Sound,  in  18.59),  worthy 
of  our  serious  consideration  was  the  unfortunate  state  of  feeling  existing  through- 
otiL  till  ([uasi  United  States.  We  were  no  longer  united.  The  "irrepressible  con- 
llict"  had  arrayed  the  North  against  the  South,  and  bitter  strife  in  congress 
irduced  several  states  to  prepare  for  a  violent  separation.  We  were,  at  this  time, 
jn  a  much  more  perilous  condition  than  we  were  in  President  Polk's  term,  when 
about  to  fight  England  for  .54  degrees  40  minutes,  and  Mexico  for  Texas.  Now, 
the  Soutii,  with  Texas,  was  about  leady  to  fight  the  North,  if  not  allowed  to 
Recede,  and  a  war  with  England,  then,  would,  without  doubt,  have  greatly  helped 
to  secure  their  independence.  General  Harney's  conduct  i.s  inexplicable,  unless  it 
Wixs  "'a  design  and  an  object  with  it,  the  Southern  secession  from  the  beginning." 
The  history  of  Washington  territory  confutes  the  assumptions  of  the  general 
against  (Governor  Douglass  and  the  Hud.son  Bay  company.  The  evidence,  although 
vol  connected  with  the  boundary  question,  is,  I  think,  pertinent  to  a  more  thor- 
ough understanding  of  our  relations  with  oiu'  neighbors  across  the  line,  who  stand 
accused  bj'  the  general,  because  it  will  throw  side  lights  on  their  actions,  which 
arc  always  more  reliable  than  mere  accusations. 

Tt  is  a  part  of  our  history  that  Governor  Stevens,  of  Washington  territory, 
and  General  Joel  Palmer,  of  Oi-egon,  were  appointed  commissioners  to  negotiate 
Avith  Indians  for  lands  appropriated  to  white  settlements  by  acts  of  congress. 
Tlicse  commissioners  inaugurated  a  grand  council,  at  which  the  Yakima  Indians 
(fourteen  tribes),  the  Nez  Perce  and  the  confederate  band  located  on  or  near  the 
Walla  Walla  (three  tribes),  all  lying  on  the  east  side  of  the  Cascade  mountains, 
in  Oregon  and  Washington,  were  to  meet  them  at  their  council  ground  on  the 
Walla  Walla  river.  This  assembly  made  it  possible  for  Kamiaken,  a  very  intelli- 
gent chief  of  the  Yakima  Indians,  to  combine  all  who  were  unwilling  to  part  with 
the  homes  of  their  forefathers  into  a  secret  association,  pledged  to  exterminate 
the  hated  white  settlers.  Tlie  persistent  efforts  of  the  commissioners  were  gaining 
chief  by  chief,  with  the  possibility  that  the  unwilling  Indians  would  lose  their 
homes.  In  this  extremity  it  was  proposed  to  massacre  the  commissioners  and 
small  guard  of  soldiers,  but  Kamiaken  advised  the  disaffected  chiefs  to  sign  the 
treaty — *he  white-/  had  not  conformed  to  their  treaty  promises  to  the  Indians  on 
the  Willamette;  it  was  only  to  gain  time — and  it  would  be  a  great  advantage, 
Mhile  the  whites  considered  the  Indians  friendly,  to  have  time  to  procure  powder 
and  lead,  and,  when  winter  set  in,  the  Columbia  would  be  frozen  over  and  steamers 
tied  up;  at  the  same  time  the  snow  on  the  Cascade  mountains  would  make  the 
crossing  impracticable;  then,  at  a  sij  nal,  their  warriors  would  fall,  simultaneously, 
upon  the  unsusivcting  whites,  which  could  not  fail  to  destroy  them,  having  no 
escape,  and  no  assistance  could  reach  them  in  time. 

It  was  my  fortune  to  sound  the  tocsin  of  war,  before  the  winter  set  in,  and 
suddenly  Oregon  and  Washington  found  a  blootly  war  on  their  hands.  The  local 
Indians  on  Puget  Sound,  instigated  by  the  Yakima-KHckitats,  made  a  raid  on  the 
unprotected  settlers,  massacring  the  pioneers,  their  wives  and  children,  and  setting 
lire  to  their  dwelling  places. 

Although   Governor  Stevens  had   applied,  early   in  his  administration,  to   the 


—  5  — 


SAN      JUAN      AND      SECESSION 


secretary  of  war  for  1,(MX)  Htaiuls  of  arms  and  auiimmition,  for  any  oinergency, 
tJie  secretary  declined  until  the  militia  were  enrolled  and  the  allotment  deter- 
mined. Hence,  our  territory  was  taken  by  surprise — the  governor  was  in  tiie 
Blackfoot  country — the   people  whollj-   unprepared   for   war. 

Our  historian,  Judge  Elwood  Evans,  writing  of  these  times,  says: 
"In  this  exigency.  Governor  Mason  (acting  governor),  had  been  compelled  to 
appeal  to  a  foreign  government  for  that  aid  which  our  government  had  neglecteu 
to  furnish.  •  *  *  to  ask  of  a  foreign  official  for  arms  and  ammuniti<m  to 
viefcnd  American  homes  and  firesides.  But  Sir  James  Douglass,  governor  of  the 
colony  of  Vancouver  island,  proved  a  friend  in  need.  Promptly  and  generously 
(having  made  him.self  personally  re!*ponsible  for  the  jiurchases),  he  embraced  the 
opportunity  to  assist  his  fellow  beings  in  their  emergency,  and  also  to  impart 
t!ie  useful  lesson  to  savagery  that,  in  a  war  against  the  white  race,  they  need 
not  expect  any  sympathy  from  that  great  statesman  and  the  company,  over  the 
affairs  of  which  he  presided." 

Acting  Governor  Mason  reported  the  fact  of  his  applying  to  Governor  I>iuglass 
tc  the  territorial  legislature,  and  says:  "That  application  was  promptly  and  cor- 
dially responded  to  to  the  extent  of  his  power,  he,  at  the  same  time,  regretting 
that  he  had  at  the  moment  no  vessels  of  war  at  his  disposal,  and  that  his  steamers, 
the  Otter  and  Beaver,  were  both  absent,  etc."  Soon  after  the  Otter  wan  sent  over 
to  assist,  which  demonstrated  the  policy  of  the  Hudson  Bay  company,  to-wit:  the 
life  of  a  white  person  was  too  sacred  for  any  Indian  to  raise  his  hand  against  liim, 
violently.  This  occurred  in  the  fall  of  1853,  and  the  war  lasted  several  years, 
i=o  these  facts  should  have  been  fresh  in  General  Harney's  memory  in  ISoi). 

In  writing  an  official  explanation  to  the  adjutant  general,  U.  S.  A.,  for  his 
assumptions  on  Puget  Sound,  General  Harney,  in  his  letter,  August  2i).  1850,  says: 
''Time  and  again  our  lighthouses  were  attacked,  and  the  wives  and  children  of  our 
citizens  on  that  coast  were  brutallj-  murdered  by  British  Indians.  Reports  reached 
me  that  these  Indians  had  been  instigated  to  these  acts  by  the  Hudson  Bay  com- 
pany, in  order  to  drive  them  (Who?  the  brutally  murdered,  or  the  Hudson  Bay 
company?)  from  the  lands,  etc."  One  month  and  ten  days  before  this,  July  10, 
1«59,  the  general  wrote  to  the  adjutant  general,  11.  S.  A.:  "*  *  *  Mr.  Ilubbs 
iTiformed  me  that  a  short  time  before  my  arrival,  the  chief  factor  of  the  company 
at  Victoria,  Mr.  Dallas,  son-in-law  of  Governor  Douglass,  came  to  the  island  in 
the  British  sloop-of-war  Satellite,  and  threatened  to  take  one  of  the  Americans 
by  force  to  Victoria  for  shooting  a  pig  of  the  company.  The  American  seized  his 
rifle  and  told  Mr.  Dallas  if  any  such  attempt  was  made  he  would  kill  liim  on 
the  spot.     The  affair  then  ended.     The  American  offered  to  pay,  etc. 

"To  prevent  a  repetition  of  this  outrage,  I  have  ordered  the  company  at  Fort 
Bf-Hingham  to  be  established  on  San  Juan  island  for  the  protection  of  our  citizens, 
etc." 

The  way  we  undertake  to  protect  them  is  proclaimed  by  Captain  Pickett, 
Ninth  infantry,  in  his  post  orders,  dated  San  Juan  island,  W.  T.,  July  27,  1850: 
"Par.  III. — This  being  United  States  territory,  no  laws  other  than  those  of  the 
United  States,  nor  courts,  except  such  as  are  held  by  virtue  of  said  laws,  will  be 
.ecognized  or  allowed  on  this  island.     By  order  of  Captain  Pickett." 

General  Harney  upheld  this  order,  but  did  not  seem  to  know  that  it  exercised 
complete  and  exclusive  sovereign  rights,  for  in  his  letter  to  the  adjutant  general, 
U.  S.  A.,  of  August  25,  1850,  he  writes: 


1 


0  — 


SAN      JUAN      AND      SECESSION 


i 


!; 


"In  a  (•()iiinuiiiirtiti(i.i  to  C'oniinirthioiier  Cnnipbell,  of  the  Northwest  houiulnry 
NUtvey,  I  have  (liHchiiined  any  intention  of  asserting  any  sovereijjnty  over  the  island 
of  San  Jnan  beyond  that  which  the  necessity  of  the  case  has  denninded." 

This,  too,  after  Mr.  Campbell  h/id  written  to  the  general  that  he  (t'ampbell) 
did  not  think,  "under  jjresent  cir-^'iunstances,  that  \\r  (Americans)  should  be  jus- 
iided  in  going  to  the  extent  of  refusing  them  (English  ofTicera)  to  land  troojw 
iiir  peaceable  purjMises." 

Two  months  after  the  general  himself  had  landed  on  San  Juan  island,  Paul 
K.  Hubbs,  ir.,  deputy  inspector  for  the  island,  was  called  on  for  an  affidavit.  He 
stated,  dune  4,  18!»2,  that  Governor  Stevens  asked  for  it,  but  R.  D.  Ghol.son  was 
governor  at  that  time.  Mr.  Hubbs,  on  oath,  deposes  that  he  met  the  general  on 
the  island  and  mentioned  "that  there  had  been  some  trouble  between  one  of  the 
American  settlers  and  some  of  the  officers  of  the  Hudson  Bay  company."  'J'he 
peroral  asked  the  cause.  He  said  that  "a  short  time  since  Mr.  Cutler,  one  of  our 
citi/ena,  had  shot  a  hog  belonging  to  said  company,  and  immediately  went  to  Mr. 
(iriffin,  the  superintendent,  and  offered  to  pay  for  the  hog.  Mr.  (iriffin  became 
fii raged,  etc."  "In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  the  Hudson  Bay  company's 
f^teamer  Beaver  arrived  from  Victoria  with  Mr.  Dallas,  a  director  of  the  Hudson 
Bay  cornj)any;  Dr.  Tolmie,  a  eliief  factor,  and  some  other  parties,  who,  after  hold- 
ing an  interview  with  Mr.  (iriffin,  called  on  Mr.  Cutler  and  used  (Who  used?) 
some  very  threatening  language,"  and  other  hearsay  on  dits. 

Mr.  Hubbs  was,  and  is  still,  a  great  admirer  of  General  Harney. 

His  affidavit  continues:  "They  said  (as  if  all  spoke  at  once)  that  they  had 
a  posse  on  board  and  would  take  him  a  prisoner  and  carry  him  to  Victoria  for 
trial!"  He  was  not  present,  never  heard  a  word,  but  told  the  general  as  a  fact. 
This  same  Mr.  Hubbs  voluntarily  contributed  to  the  Post-Intelligencer  of  Seattle 
of  June  4,  1802,  what  he  saw  and  knew  when  the  general  landed  on  the  0th  of 
July,  1850,  on  the  island.  He  stated  in  the  Post-Intelligencer,  strangely  enough, 
ufter  making  this  affidavit,  the  following:  "Here  the  general  dismissed  his  staff 
officers,  and  in  private  communication  the  arrangements  were  made  which  led  to 
the  occupation  of  the  island  by  LTnited  States  troops,  and  hastened  the  'ong- 
delayed  question  of  sovereignty,  which  took  a  Jackson  or  a  Harney  to  consum- 
mate." These  private  oral  communications  'were  to  be  followed  up  with  a  proMi- 
is?d  petition,  "signed  by  every  American  settler  on  the  island." 

The  promised  petition,  although  dated  Julj-  11,  1859,  was  not  received  at  the 
department  headquarters  until  after  Pickett  had  taken  possession  of  the  island, 
when  it  wasi  of  no  other  use  than  to  refute  General  Harney's  assertions  in  his 
letter  to  the  adjutant  general,  U.  S.  A.,  dated  August  7,  1850.  where  he  reports  as 
follows: 

"On  my  visit  to  San  Juan  island,  mentioned  in  that  report  (July  10,  1859), 
the  United  States  inspector  of  customs  on  that  island,  Mr.  Hubbs,  made  an  official 
complaint,  on  behalf  of  the  American  citizens,  of  the  outrages  perpetrated  upon 
them  by  the  British  authorities  of  Vancouver  island,  who  are  connected  with  the 
Hudson  Bay  company  establishment,  and  who  have  a  sheep  farm  on  the  island. 
*  *  *  (Here  he  repeats  his  ver-don  of  'the  pig  was  shot' — which,  by  the  way, 
was  a  breeding  boar)  •  »  ♦  x  was  also  informed  that  the  Hudson  Bay  com- 
pany had  threatened,  at  different  times,  to  send  the  Northern  Indians  down  upon 
them  and  drive  them  from  the  island.  This  statement  has  since  been  confirmed 
to  me  by  some  of  the  most  reliable  citizens  on  the  Sound." 


—  7 


S  A  y      J  I 'AN      A  N  D       S  K  C  E  H  S  I  O  N 


The    petition    i«'fL'ir«'tl    to    eininierutt'H   H«'Vt'ial    miinlois   i»lleg(>(l    to   have    lit-i'ii 
done  by,     and     tlu'y   a^iv     protoi-tioii     from,     "tho  l)aii(lM  of  inaniiuliii);     Nortiu'rn 
Indian^*,  wlio  infcHt   Dichc  watciH  in  lar^p  niinilMMs  and   are  greatly  retarding'  tlie 
progrc88  of  the  settlement  of  tluM  island."     Not  one  word  in  the   |)etition  |)rayinK 
tor  proteetion  against  "the  outrages  perpetrated  upon  them  hy  the  Hiitish  authori- 
ties of  V'aneouver  island,"  nor  against  the  Hudson   Hay  eompany,  liut,  .)ii  the  con- 
trary, it  says  that   in  April,   iNoH,  "the   house  of  the   United  States  inspector  of 
ciMtoms  for  tliis  island  was  attacked   and   tired  into   in   the  night   hy  a   party  of 
]rdian8  living  on  this  island,  and  known  us  C'lallams,  and,  had  it  not  been  for  the 
timely  aid  of  the  Hudson  liay  ctnnpany,  the  inspector  would  have  fallen  a  victim 
to  their  savage  designs."     Again:     Mr.  A.  .1.  Dallas,  of    Victoria,  K.  t'.,  addresseil 
General  Harney,  through  their  nnnister  at  Washington  t'ity.  May   10,  18(10,  after 
having  seen  his  (Harney's)  letters  of  the  7th,  Htli,  2.')th  and  21(th  of  August,  18.')l), 
to  the  adjutant  general,  l'.   S.   A.;   to   (Jovernoi    Douglass,  August  0;   to  Captain 
I'ickett,  July  18,  and  to  (ieneral  Scott,  July  IW,  llWl),  in   which  he  gives  the  most 
unqiialitied   contradiction     to   the   part   attributed   to   him,     which  he  gives   cate- 
gorically, by  numbers,  but  which  it  will  take  too  mui-h  of  our  time  to  give  in  full. 
Let   a  few   sample   letters   suffice.     He   says:      "4.     !    never  visited   the   island   of 
San  Juan  in  any  man-oi'-war.     My  arrival  there  wa*.  purely  accidental.     I  landed 
from  the  company's  steamer  Beaver,  used  solely  tor  the  purposes  of  trade,  accom- 
jinnled  by   two  friends.     The  next  day,  accompanieil,  in  addition,  by  Chief  Trader 
(irifTin,  our  agent   upon  the   island,   we  took   the  opportunity,  in   passing  Cutler's 
hut  or  tent,  to  call  upon  liiTn.     1  remonstrated  with  him  in  regard  to  liis  offense, 
«I)ich  he  admitted,  offering  to  ])ay  vIh"  value  of  the  animal  killeil,  which  was  not 
accepted.     No  demand  of  one  hundred  dollars    ($100),  or  any  sum  of  money,     was 
made  upon   him,  nor  did   I   threaten   to  apprehend   him   or  take  bim   to  Victoria. 
On  the  contrary,  I  stated  distinctly  that  I  was  a  private  individual  and  could  not 
interfere  with  him.     I  have,  fortunately,  an  unimpeachable  witness  to  prove  this. 
"     *     •     5.    Cutler  did   not  use  any   threats   to  me,  and  I  gave  him  no  cause 
to  do  so,  etc." 

The  published  correspondence  fails  to  support  any  assertion  of  the  general, 
cr.d  leaves  the  reader  in  doubt  as  to  what  was  kille<l.  The  general  says  it  was 
a  '"pig;"  both  Hubs  and  (Hitler  call  it  a  "hog,"  and  Cutler  adds:  "The  animal 
was  so  worthless,  he  (CJriffin)  would  never  have  troubled  himself  about  it" — 
lienoe  a  writer  (Mr.  Weir)  felt  justified  in  pronouncing  it  one  of  the  "razor-back" 
specimens.  My  own  impression,  at  the  time,  was  that  it  was  a  "boar,"  of  good 
stock  for  br€'oding,  and  the  constructive  damage  coidd  be  figured  so  as  to  leave 
.*'100  far  behind!  The  general's  diplomacy,  however,  failed  to  provoke  the  English 
into  war. 

STATUS  OF  THE  SOUND  UNDER  COLONEL  CASEV,  U.  S.  A. 
In  1856  the  great  number  of  Uussian  Indians,  and  from  Stickeen  river,  in  the 
British  possessions,  who  were  prowling  in  our  waters  without  restraint,  became 
a  terror  to  the  resident  families  scattered  along  the  shores  of  our  islands  and 
mainlands.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Casey,  commanding  Puget  Sound  district,  located 
Captain  Pickett's  company,  Ninth  infantry,  near  Whatcom,  as  a  rallying  point  for 
the  women  and  children,  in  case  of  an  invasion  by  hostile  Indians;  also  as  a 
guard  over  the  outlets  about  Swinimish  slough  (in  case  Indians  had  committed 
depredations  among  our  settlements  and  were  tteeing  from  the  Soimd),  to  intercept 
them.     Brevet  Major  Haller's  company,  Fourth   infantry,  was   located   near   Port 


I 


! 


—  8 


.SM.V      JUAN      AND      SEC  K  SSI  ON 


I 


{ 


TowiiHcnd,  aim)  an  asyliini  for  women  aiul  cliildren.  and,  witli  a  icvonup  cutter's 
{Jvtt  JJavirt)  aHHistant'f,  to  guard  Admiralty  inlet.  The  locationM  wert'  well  Hclected 
Iwr  the  special  ohiectH  in  view — they  gave  confidence  to  the  t^eltlerH  and  caused 
Ibe  foreign  Indians  to  conduct  themselves  with  greater  propriety  while  within 
possible  reach  of  tliese  companies. 

The  Haro  arciiipelago,  although  subject  to  joint  occupation,  had  but  few,  if 
•ny,  settlers  then,  other  than  some  on  Bellevue  farm  and  a  I'nited  States 
i'lspector  of  customs.  There  was  even  here  an  incidental  protection,  as  when 
I'lspcctor  llubbs'  house  had  been  tired  into,  1  crossed  over  to  the  island  with  a 
small  guard  to  capture  the  ollendcrs  and  pro:  t  this  officer.  Mr.  (iriffin,  who 
liud  given  timely  assistance  to  Mr.  Hubbs  to  esiu,ie,  was  pleased  to  see  the  troops, 
knowing  their  object,  and  would,  no  doubt,  hi  ve  welcomed  Captain  I'ickett's  com- 
pany had  he  come,  in  18,11),  simply  to  ?i  led  t'e  .Amoriiaii  settlements.  The 
C'lallams  saw   soldiers   land,  (juit  the  island   for  <.'nod.  ,iiid  the  trt;uble  ended  tiiere. 

The  old  war-rigged  steamer  Miissnchusetts,  eight  32-i)ounders,  commanded  by 
Cajjtain  Swartout,  L'.  S.  Navy,  came  into  tl  •  Sound  waters,  and,  at  the  re<iuest 
»;f  the  governor  and  Colonel  Casey,  Captain  Swartout  undertook  to  drive  the 
Xorthern  Indians  out  of  our  seas.  He  found  a  large  number  of  Russian  Indians 
encamped  opposite  the  Port  (iamble  sawmills,  and  ordered  them  to  go  home,  pro- 
posing to  tow  their  canoes  for  them  uj)  north.  They  refused  to  go  and  resolved 
to  fight  rather  than  go  against  their  wills;  the  trouble  was  brief;  they  found 
shelter  in  the  woods,  when  their  camp  and  provisions  were  burned  up.  Hunger 
subdued  them,  and  they  capitulated  after  losing  a  chief  and  manv  braves,  hut 
their  losses  stirred  up  the  relatives  of  the  dead,  who  so<m  a|)peared  on  the  So\uid 
to  avenge  their  deaths. 

This  affair  cost  Colonel  Isaac  X.  Kbey,  ex-collector  of  customs,  a  prominent 
lawyer  and  highly  respected  pioneer — regarded  by  the  Indians  a  great  chief— the 
io*«  of  his  head,  which  they  carried  back  in  triumph.  How  many  more  suffered  is 
not  of  record,  but  the  tragic  death  of  Colonel  Ebey  (like  the  death  of  the  uuutyr, 
General  Canby),  convinced  our  authorities  in  Washington  City  that  there  was  a 
quasi  war.  Thereupon,  the  navy  de|)artment  turned  over  the  Massachusetts  to 
t'c  quartermaster  department,  U.  S.  A.,  for  military  dutj'.  On  arriving  at  the 
pr.rt  of  Steilacoom  for  duty  on  the  Sound,  General  Harney  and  his  staff.  Captains 
Pleasonton,  acting  assistant  adjutant  general,  and  Ingalls,  assistant  (juartermaster, 
having  crossed  inland,  inspected  Fort  Steilacoom,  then  embarked  on  the  ^lassa- 
diusetts,  called  at  Fort  Townsend,  for  a  few  moments  only,  then  hastened  to  Bell- 
irgham  bay,  where  night  overtook  them.  Captains  Pleasonton  and  Ingalls  were 
flassniates  at  West  Point  with  Captain  Pickett,  and  stopped  over  night  with  him. 
General  Harney  stopped  for  t'  e  night  with  Judge  Fitzhugh.  What  occiured  this 
night  is  not  of  record,  but  the  next  day  the  Massachusetts  steamed  for  Seniiahmoo, 
where  General  Harney  became  the  guest  if  Mr.  Campbell,  while  his  staff  officers 
wore  entertained  by  Mr.  Warren,  the  secretary  to  the  boundary  commission. 
These  officers  informed  Mr.  Warren  that  General  Harney  intended  to  order  Cap- 
tain Pickett's  company  to  occupj-  San  Juan  island,  and  he  inferred  that  the  gen- 
cval's  visit  had  reference  to  it.  While  waiting  for  his  mail  at  my  post  (Fort 
Townsend),  I  showed  General  Harney's  special  orders  No.  72  to  Mr.  Campbell, 
wlio  expressed  surprise  that  he,  Harney,  would  order  Pickett  on  San  Juan  with- 
out advising  him  (Mr.  Campbell),  as  the  island  was  still  in  dispute.  Air.  AA'arren 
then  told  him  how  he  knew  it,  and  had  taken  it  for  granted  that  the  general  had 


9  — 


SAN      JUAN      AND      SECESSION 


iiiformed  Mr.  Campbell,  as  commissioner,  or  he  would  have  mentioned  it  to  him 
before.  The  Massachusetts  then  proceeded  to  Victoria  harbor  to  get  coal,  and 
while  there  General  Harnej'  met  (Jovernor  Douglass  and,  by  invitation,  dined  with 
him.  After  leaving  Victoria  he  stopped  at,  and  landed  on,  San  Juan  island,  for  a 
short  time,  then  hastened  back  to  his  headquarters,  Fort  Vancouver. 

GENERAL    HARNEY'S    STRATEGY. 

However  satisfactory  Colonel  Casej''s  arrangements  proved  to  the  inhabitants, 
they  were  not  so  to  the  general,  whose  strategy  is  sui  generis,  and  upsets  rank 
of  officers  and  disposition  of  troops,  as  we  will  soon  discover. 

Captain  Pleasonton,  acting  assistant  adjutant  general,  writes,  July  18,  1859, 
licm  Fort  Vancouver,  to  Lieutenant  Colonel  S.  Casey,  Ninth  infantry,  command- 
ing Fort  Steilacoom,  Puget  Sound: 

"Sir:  By  special  orders  No.  72,  herewith  enclosed,  you  will  perceive  the  gen- 
eral commanding  has  withdrawn  the  garrisons  from  Bellingham  and  Townsend, 
and  has  placed  the  Massachusetts  under  jour  orders,  for  better  protection  and 
supervision  of  the  waters  of  Ihiget  Sound. 

"To  carry  out  these  instructions  with  more  effect,  the  general  commanding 
desires  me  to  communicate  to  you  the  following  directions:  The  steamer  Massa- 
chusetts will  proceed  without  delay  to  Bellingham,  to  be  used  in  pstablishing 
company  D,  Ninth  infantry,  on  San  Juan  island,  after  which  she  will  convey 
company  I,  Fourth  infantry,  to  Steilacoom,  when  the  company  you  assign  for 
service  on  the  steamer  will  be  embarked  under  your  supervision. 

"After  the  ship  has  received  the  necessary  stores  and  supplies,  she  will  be 
irstructed  to  cruise  in  the  Sound  among  the  islands  frequented  by  the  Northern 
Indians,  who  will  be  warned  not  to  come  into  any  of  the  waters  under  the  juris- 
diction of  the  United  States,  which,  etc. 

"Any  opposition  by  these  Indians  will  be  speedily  checked,  and  the  require- 
ments of  these  instructions  will  be  maintained  by  force,  if  necessary.  The  ordinary 
rendezvous  of  the  steamer  Massachtiselts,  for  wowi  and  water,  will  be  San  Juan 
island;  and  should  the  commander  of  that  island  desire  the  assistance  of  any 
force  from  the  ship  for  purposes  connected  with  the  defense  of  the  island,  the 
officer  in  command  of  the  ship  will  be  instructed  to  furnish  a  force  and  co-operate 
with  the  troops  in  all  measures  re(|uiring  its  safety  and  protection.  At  the  end 
of  every  two  months  the  ship  will  visit  Fort  Steilacoom  to  obtain  supplies  and 
for  the  muster  and  inspection  required  by  tiie  regulations.  The  command  on  the 
steamer  Massachusetts,  will  be  borne  on  the  post  return  of  Fort  Steilacoom  as  a 
component  part  of  its  garrison. 

"  *  *  •  As  the  ship  is  mounted  with  eight  32-pounders  and  the  proper 
ammunition  has  been  provided,  the  cnw  will  be  instructed,  under  the  direction  of 
the  master  of  the  vessel,  in  their  use,  to  obtain  the  most  efficient  action  from  nil 
parties  in  cases  requiring  it.  *  *  *  The  general  commanding  is  pleased  to 
communicate  his  confidence  in  the  zeal,  energy  and  intelligence  you  exercise  in  the 
discharge  of  your  duties  in  the  service,  and  he  rests  assured  the  details  transmitted 
'n  this  communication  will  be  rendered  with  satisfaction  and  advantage  to  such 
worthy  qualities.     I  am,  colonel,  etc." 

These  instructions  have  been  carefully  worded  to  mean  much  more  than  is 
written;  for  officers  on  the  Sound  at  that  date  could  read  between  the  lines.  For 
example:     The  withdrawal  of  the  garrisons  of  Bellingham  and  Townsend  dissolved 


i 


1 


—  10  - 


SAN      JUAN      AND      SECESSION 


i 


! 


the  Puget  Sound  district.     The  communication  is  addressed  to  Lieutenant  Colonel 
S.   Casey,  Ninth  infantry,   commanding   Fort    Steilacoom — not   commanding    Puget 
Soimd  district — limiting  his  authority  to  his  post,  literally,  placing  Captain  Pickett 
above  him   by   his   having  an  independent   post,  but   charged    with   a    position   of 
gravest  responsibility,  requiring  the  highest  degree  of  intelligence,  discretion  and 
international  courtesy,  which  the  customs  of  service  intrust  only  to  superior  otticers. 
Tlie   Massachusetts    is    placed    nominally    under    Colonel    Casey's     command,     but 
actually  under  Captain  Pickett's,  because  she  must  rendezvous  ordinarily  at  San 
Juan  island,  and  get  her  wood  and  water  there,  although  there  was  no  wharf  nor 
water  and  no  laborers  to  cut  wood  at  the  island,  while  at  the  port  of  Steilacoom 
these  were   convenient   and  abundant.     But   if  Captain    Pickett     wanted    Colonel 
<,'asey's  troops  aboard  the  Massachusetts  to  join  his  company  a^^hore  on  San  Juan, 
he  has  only  to  say  "for  defense,"  and  the  commander  of  the  company  is  obliged 
to  supply  his  requisition,  even  as,  in  my  case,  he  should  rank  Captain  Pickett  and 
differ  with  him  as  to  the  necessity  for  the  soldiers;  if  he  Joes  not  comply,  he  dis- 
obeys the  commanding  general's  orders   and  is  liable  to   a  general  court-martial. 
At  the  end  of  every  two  months  the  ship  will  visit  Fort  Steilacoom  to  obtain 
supplies  and  for  mu.ster  and  inspection.     The  fort  being  three  miles  by  road  from 
salt    ivater,  we  will  presume  it  is  the  crew,  whether  ram  or  shine,  must  visit  Fort 
Steilacoom,  fall   into  line,  there  to  be  mustered  and  inspected,  and  thereby   save 
Captain  Hckett  all  his  trouble  and  bother  of  muster  rolls.    But  the  queerest  thing 
ordered  therein  is,  when  you  understand  that  the  soldiers  are  the  crew,  inasmuch 
as  engineers  and  firemen  cannot   leave  their  posts,  and  the  master  of   the  vessel 
is  a  civilian  employe  of  the  quartermaster  department,  yet  the  general  orders  that 
'the  crew  will  be  instructed,  under  the  direction  of   the  master  of  the  vessel,  in 
the  use  of  the  cannon."     As  Northern  Indians  will  not  contest  against  cannon  on 
v.aler,  the  general   must  have  contemplated  a  fight  with  other  than   Indians,  for 
he  says  plainly  he  wants  "to  obtain  the  most  efficient  action  from  all  parties  in 
cases  requiring  it."    But  the  unkindest  cut  of  all  is  in  the  final  part  of  this  won- 
derful  letter— it   is  gilt-edged  irony — where  the  general  is  pleased  to   express  his 
confidence,  etc.,  in  Colonel  Casey,  and  on  the  same  day,  passing  over  Colonel  Casey, 
gives  Captain  Pickett  an  independent  command  in  the  front,  as  if  to  induce  war, 
charged   with:     "Second — Another  serious   and  important   duty   will  devolve   upon 
you  in  the  occupation  of  San  Juan  island,  arising  from  the  conflicting  interests  of 
the    American  citizens  and  the  Hiulson  Bay  company  establishment  at  that  point. 
This  duty  is  to  afford  adequate  protection  to  the  American  citizens  in  their  rights 
as  such,  and  to  resist  all  attempts  at  interference  by  the  British  authorities   re- 
siding on  Vancouver  island,  by  intimidation   or  force,  in  the  controversies  of  the 
above  mentioned  parties.     *     *     *" 

scarcely  had  Captain  Pickett  <iuit  Fort  Bellingham  in  obedience  to  special 
orders  No.  72,  when  some  eight  or  ten  young  Nootsack  warriors,  painted  and  fitted 
out  for  fight,  defiantly  entered  Whatcom,  incensed  because  their  chief  had  been 
(and  they  supposed  was  then),  imprisoned  in  the  county  jail,  to  demand  his  re- 
lease. The  insolence  of  one  warrior  caused  a  citizen  to  shoot  him,  when  the  others 
avenged  his  .".eath  by  shooting  the  citizen.  The  town  was  fully  aroused  and  the 
people  took  to  their  arms.  When  the  smoke  cleared  away  four  warriors  lay  dead. 
1  was  then  on  the  Massachusetts  with  my  company,  searching  for  Nortliern  Indians 
i.o  remove  them.  The  citizens,  seeing  the  smoke  of  my  steamer,  sent  an  express 
mcsienger  out  to  intercept  her  and  retjuest  military  protection  from  my  command. 


—  11  — 


SAN      JUAN      AND      SECESSION 


Fortunately  when  he  landed,  we  found  the  tribe  had  descended  to  the  mouth  of 
JJootsack  river,  to  receive  their  dead  relatives,  and  by  rapid  marching  "to  the 
Nooteack  crossing,"  where  the  river  was  narrow  and  very  rapid,  I  became  master 
of  the  situation;  the  Indians  could  not  possibly  get  by  to  their  lodges  with  their 
dead  without  my  permission.  I  sent  a  friendly  invitation  to  the  tribe  to  meet 
me  there,  which  they  accepted.  I  demanded  the  remainder  of  their  young  warriors 
in  that  fight  as  hostages,  as  a  guarantee  that  there  would  be  no  more  bloodshed 
lor  the  past.  They  gave  me  the  hostages,  and  I  thus  rescued  not  only  the  people 
around  Whatcom,  but  Mr.  Campbell  and  his  small  working  parties  in  the  wootls, 
marking  a  boundary  line,  from  Indian  massacres  and  the  effect  of  (Jeneral  Harney's 
strategy.    Had  Pickett  not  been  removed,  this  would  not  have  happened. 

I  confess  that  I  cannot  see  in  the  general's  instructions  to  Pickett,  as  far  as 
published,  iny  positive  injunction  against  allowing  the  English  authorities  to  have 
an  equal  force  in  "the  fairly  disputed  limits"  for  the  like  protection  of  British 
subjects.  Were  there  any  other  instructions?  Probably  none.  Mr.  Campbell 
thought  and  wrote  to  (Jeneral  Harnej",  "under  present  circumstances,"  it  was  not 
considered  proper  to  refuse  to  allow  the  English  "to  land  troops  for  peaceable  pur- 
poses. I  found  that  Captain  Pickett  had  different  views,  derived  from  your 
instructions,  which  he  confidentially  showed  me.  I  perceived  that  they  were 
susceptible  of  the  interpretation  he  gave  them,  though  they  were  not  directly 
mandatory  on  the  subject,  etc."    Letter  to  General  Harney  of  August  14,  185!). 

I  maj'  be  doing  injustice,  but  my  candid  impression  has  been  that  on  the  night 
spent  at  Bellingham  JJaj'  the  matter  was  orally  agreed  upon — the  hog  incident  to 
be  seized  as  the  pretext,  and  the  exclusion  of  British  law  and  Britisli  troops  from 
San  Juan  island  to  become  the  casus  belli.  We  know  that  (Jeneral  Harney  was  a 
native  of  I»uisiana;  Captain  I'ickett  and  Judge  Fitzhugh  of  Virginia;  Fauntleroy, 
the  master  of  the  Massachusetts,  also  a  Virginian;  and  these  are  significant  facts, 
for  Colonel  (^asey  and  Major  Haller  were  born  north  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  line. 
(Jeneral  Harney's  indulgence  to  the  citizens  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  who  were  known  to 
be  disloyal  to  the  administration,  until  he  was  removed;  and  Pickett  and  Fitz- 
liugh  accepting  commissions  in  the  Confederate  army,  are  significant  factors  con- 
nected with  this  subject. 

Captain  Pickett  believed  his  third  paragraph  of  post  orders,  which  asserted 
tor'^'lete  and  exclusive  control  over  San  Juan  island,  woJild  compel  the  British 
niuuorities  to  assert  their  claim  with  force;  he  was  displeasetl  when  I  first  met 
him  and  advised  a  joint  occujjation.  He  assured  me  that  if  they  attempted  to 
land  he  would  fire  on  them.  He  believed  they  would  land,  and  considered  war 
inevitable.  But  war  then,  apart  from  the  political  objections,  was  not  a  pro- 
pitious moment  to  fight  England,  from  a  military  point  of  view,  inasmuch  a*  we 
were  utterly  unprepared,  in  every  sense,  for  war.  Our  coast,  from  Olympia  to  San 
Diego,  (al.,  was  helplessly  exposed  to  an  enemy  in  a  warship,  while  England  at 
that  moment  had  in  Esquimalt  harbor,  under  Rear  Admiral  Bayne's  royal  navy, 
the  commanding  fleet: 

The  flagship  fJanges,  eighty-four  guns,  840  men;   Captain  Slavel  commanding. 

Tribune,  thirty -one  guns,  325  men;  Captain  Hornby  commanding;  twenty-two 
32-pounders,  nine  (i8-pounders. 

Pleiades,  twenty-one  guns,  325  men;  Captain  DeCourcy  commanding;  one  pivot 
and  twenty  (W-pounders. 

—  12  — 


SAN      JUAN      AND      SECESSION 


Satellite,  twenty-one  guns,  325  men;  Captain  Pievost  commanding;  one  pivot 
and  twenty  68-pounders. 

Plumper,  ten  guns,  125  men;  Captain  Richards  commanding;   all  32-pounder8. 

Sappers,  miners  and  marines,  200  men. 

Total,  167  guns,  2,140  men. 

Finding  from  Captain  Pickett's  eomnumications  that  it  was  probable  the 
British  navy  would  force  a  landing  on  San  Juan  island.  General  Harney  ordered 
every  available  soldier  in  his  department  to  the  island,  and  on  the  30th  of  August, 
lSd9,  he  reports  to  General  Scott  the  number  of  troops  forming  Colonel  Casey's 
command  that  day: 

Companies  A   and   C,  Fourth   infantry,  and  H,  Ninth   infantry    (from    Steila- 

coom) 13() 

Companies  A,  B,  D  and  M,  of  the  Third  artillery 181 

Company  D,  Ninth   infantry qq 

Company    I,    Fourth    infantry 44 

Detachment   of   Company   A,   engineers 11 

Aggregate    4Cl 

The  eight  32-pounders  of  the  Massachusetts  had  been  landed,  and  besides  they 
had  one  6-pounder  and  five  mountain  howitzers  to  contend  against  over  700  pounds 
of  iron  balls  from  a  single  broadside  of  08-pouiiders,  beyond,  if  necessary,  the 
range  of  our  32-pounders.  The  revenue  cutters  Joe  Lane  and  Jeff  Davis  and  the 
lighthouse  tender  Shubrick,  our  entire  naval  force  on  Puget  Sound — for  the  Massa- 
chusetts was  disarmed  and  converted  into  p  beast  of  burden — could  make  no  show 
against  her  majesty's  fleet. 

The  English  vessels  could,  of  course,  have  prevented  the  landing  of  any  troops 
to  reinforce  Pickett,  and  Colonel  Casey  fully  expected  to  meet  with  resistance  in 
attempting  to  land  his  command.  But  it  was  e«iually  certain  to  the  English  officers 
that  the  troops  on  the  island  could  not  escape,  if  the  admiral  wished,  by  only 
preventing  boats  landing  there  to  get  and  carry  them  away.  We  had  violated  the 
military  maxim:  "Never  do  what  the  enemy  would  like  you  to  do!"  for  we  had 
concentrated  in  a  place  where  the  enemy  could  keep  us  as  completely  as  if  we 
liad  been  corked  up  in  a  bottle — a  la  General  Butler  on  the  James  river. 

With  all  of  General  Harney's  forces  on  the  island,  the  English  were  masters 
of  the  situation  in  the  department  of  Oregon.  They  knew  it,  and  contented  them- 
selves with  keeping  a  single  war  vessel  in  San  Juan  harbor,  with  springs  on  her 
cable  to  deliver  broadside*— a  threat  far  more  humiliating  than  if  they  had  landed, 
because  neither  Pickett  nor  Cassy  had  means  to  force  the  Tribune  to  withdraw 
from  their  Americin  harbor,  nor  f  "om  its  insulting  menace. 

HOW  SMALL  THINGS  TURN  TO  GOOD  ACCOUNT  IN  WAR. 

It  often  happens  in  war  that  very  simple  things  produce  wonderful  results. 
At  Gaines'  Mill,  Va.,  on  the  second  of  the  seven  days'  fighting,  when  (ieneral  Lee 
had  overpowered  and  exhausted  CJeneral  Fitz  John  Porter's  army  and  was  driving 
him  back.  General  Meagher's  Irish  brigade  was  sent  forward  to  reinforce  Porter. 
^Meagher,  seeing  the  masses  all  around  him  demoralized  and  hurrying  to  the  rear, 
divine'^  Porter's  distress,  and,  for  fear  that  his  men  might  also  become  demoralized, 
ho  e  '  .d  out:  "The  left  wing  has  taken  Richmond!"  The  effect  was  electrical; 
his  men  rushed  forward,  hurrahing  as  loud  as  they  could,   which  encouraged  our 

—  13  — 


SAN      JUAN      AND      SECESSION 


VPterans  to  hold  on,  knowing  that  relief  was  coming.  General  Lee,  hearing  the 
shouts,  halted  his  men  to  organize  and  reform  to  meet  the  fresh  enemy.  This  gave 
General  Porter  time  to  withdraw  under  the  gathering  darkness,  and  saved  the 
tomnant  of  his  battalions.  The  timely  inspiration  of  General  Meagher  no  doubt 
siivetl  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  from  a  very  serious  disaster. 

The  burning  of  the  great  bridge  at  Wrightsville,  in  York  county,  Pennsylvania, 
seemed  to  have  little  credit  for  its  important  bearing  on  the  war,  but  defeated 
(ieneral  Lee's  plan  of  campaign,  without  bloodshed,  so  far  as  the  crossing  of  the 
Susquehanna  river  was  a  part.  The  bridge  was  one  of  I^e's  objective  points,  but 
was  set  on  fire  June  28,  1863,  just  as  General  Gordon's  rebel  brigade  was  approach- 
ing to  seize  it,  three  days  before  the  fighting  of  Gettj'sburg.  Lee  was  approach- 
ing leisiu'ely, 'trusting  to  his  having  left  Hooker's  command  thoroughly  demoralized 
away  beliind  him.  His  inability  to  cross  the  Susquehanna  was  as  much  of  a  sur- 
prise as  the  proximity  of  General  Meade's  arm}'.  It  enabled  Meade  to  catch  up, 
and  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  put  an  end  to  his  invasion. 

But  a  smaller  incident — remote  and  unconnected  with  the  belligerent  operations 
about  San  Juan  island — did,  I  believe,  exercise  a  potent  influence  in  staying  the 
contemplated  English  forcible  occiiDation  of  the  island.  1  was  in  the  harbor  on 
bf^ard  the  Ma.ssachusetts  on  the  mornmg  of-  the  day  fixed  upon  by  Captain  Pickett 
to  meet  the  English  officers.  Captains  Hornby,  Prevost  and  Richards,  to  decide 
upon  joint  occupation.  Pickett  and  I  had  disagreed,  and,  as  I  ranked  him,  he  did 
not  wish  nie  to  be  present. 

Before  daylight  that  morning  the  Plumper  arrived,  bringing  sappers,  miners 
and  marines,  from  J'raser  river.  At  a  proper  hour,  Captain  Richards  (whose  ac- 
quaintance I  iirtd  made  at  Fort  Townsend),  made  me  a  social  call,  and  when  about 
tr  leave  expressed  a  wish  to  make  Colonel  Pickett  a  call  and  asked  if  I  would 
accompany  him  and  introduce  him,  to  which  I  gladly  assentetl.  On  leaving 
Pickett's  tent,  he  asked  me  if  he  might  introduce  me  to  Lieutenant  Colonel  Moody, 
of  Her  Majesty's  Royal  engineers,  the  lieutenant  governor  of  British  Columbia, 
then  on  the  island,  at  Mr.  Griffin's,  close  by.  I  consented,  and  on  the  way  I  asked 
if  it  were  possible  for  me  to  get  Colonel  Casey  a  newspaper  containing  a  detailed 
account  of  the  recently  fought  battle  of  Solferino,  from  one  of  their  officers.  I, 
however,  could  not  recollect  the  name  (Solferino),  and  it  was  difficult  for  me  to 
assure  Captain  Richards,  and  afterwards  Colonel  Moody,  that  it  was  a  later  battle 
than  Magenta.  I  learned  from  Captain  Richards  that  their  English  mail  was  more 
than  three  weeks  behind  time,  and  it  dawned  upon  his  mind  that  jKJSsibly  the 
two  governments  at  home  might  have  settled  the  question  and  their  dispatches  on 
the  waj-  were  delayed  by  failure  of  their  steamboats  to  connect. 

After  the  introduction  to  Colonel  Moo<ly  and  his  staff,  conversation  was  gen- 
eral until  Captain  Richards  announced  to  Colonel  Moody  that  I  brought  the  news 
of  a  later  French  victory,  which  took  the  English  by  surprise,  and  many  questions 
were  put  to  me,  which  were  appropriate  to  Magenta,  and  so  I  informed  them. 
Then  came  an  ominous  pause,  and  I  stepped  into  Griffin's  yards  for  a  few  minutes. 
On  my  return,  I  soon  became  conscious  that  Captain  Richards  had  suggested  the 
possibility  of  a  settlement  of  the  boundary  question,  and  their  own  uncertain  po- 
sition was  due  to  delayed  mails.  They  asked  how  the  president  commimicoted 
with  his  army,  etc.,  how  many  enlisted  men  in  a  company,  etc.,  when  I  answei-ed 
that  the  normal  number  of  a  company  was  sixty  odd,  but  the  president  could 
increase  them  in  a  department  threatened  with  hostilities  to  100  men,  and   our 


1 1 


—  14 


SAN      JUAN      AA'D      SECESSION 


i 


companies  had  not  been  increased,  nor  were  any  defenses  being  constructed,  leav- 
ing us  totally  unprepared  for  hostilities.  Captain  Rit-hards'  suggestion  was  to 
them  the  only  explanation  which  enabled  them  to  comprehend  General  Harney's 
conduct.* 

At  the  afternoon  meeting  the  British  officers  were  conservative,  and  ilajor 
Hawkins,  royal  engineers,  was  soon  after  dispatched  as  bearer  of  dispatches  to  their 
minister  at  Washington,  D.  C.  The  French  war  news,  I  still  believe,  defeated 
('aptain  Pickett's  and  General  Harney's  expectations,  and  stayed  hostilities  suffi- 
ciently long  for  General  Scott  to  put  in  an  appearance,  and  he  established  satis- 
factory relations  between  the  contending  governments  in  regard  to  San  Juan 
island. 

After  General  Scott  returned  to  Washington  City,  leaving  General  Harney  once 
more  in  command,  the  latter  attempted  to  undo  what  General  Scott  had  done, 
on  the  alleged  ground  that  General  Scott  had  left  no  orders  to  grant  a  joint 
military  occupation  with  British  troops;  neither  has  the  Uniteil  States  government 
delegated  any  authority  to  the  lieutenant  general  to  offer  or  accept  such  occupa- 
tion, etc.  That  San  .Juan  island  was  attached  to  Whatcom  county 
by  act  of  the  territorial  legislature  which  was  duly  submitted  to  congress 
and  has  not  been  disproved;  it  is,  therefore,  the  law  of  the  land.  Pickett  must 
respect  on  the  island  the  civil  jurisdiction  of  Washington  territory— "that  any 
attempt  on  the  part  of  the  British  commander  to  ignore  this  right  will  be  followed 
by  deplorable  results  out  of     his   (Harney's)    power  to  prevent  or  control,"  etc. 

The  garrison  at  Fort  Townsend  re-established  by  General  Scott  was  again 
withdrawn  by  General  Harney.  Captain  Hunt's  company,  Fourth  infantry,  was 
relieved  from  duty  on  San  Juan  island  and  Captain  Pickett,  reinstated,  breaking  up 
Fort  Bellingham.  The  general  seemed  to  be  playing  the  bull  in  the  china  shop— 
ureaking  things  up  generally! 

General  Soott,  referring  to  General  Harney's  order  to  Captain  Pickett  "to 
acknowledge  and  respect  the  civil  jurisdiction,"  says:  "If  this  does  not  lead  to 
a  collision  of  arms  it  will  again  be  due  to  the  forbearance  of  the  British  authori- 
ties; for  I  foui  i  both  Brigadier  General  Harney  and  Captain  Pickett  proud  of 
their  conquest  of  the  island  and  quite  jealous  of  any  interference  therewith  on  the 
part  of  higher  authority,"  etc. 

The  secretary  of  war,  John  B.  Floyd,  on  whom  General  Harney  relied  for 
support  for  favors  performed  for  the  former  at  Fort  Snelling,  would  no  longer 
favor  him,  and  on  the  8th  of  June,  1860,  directed:  "The  adjutant  general  will  order 
Brigadier  General  Harney  to  repair  to  WasWngtom  City  without  delay."  With 
the  departure  of  General  Harney  all  discord  went  with  him.  The  island  fell  to 
us  by  the  decision  of  Emper  "  Wilhelm  I.  of  Germany,  as  arbitrator. 


•Major  Haller  sailed  at  noon,  Auguat  3,  1859,  two  hours  before  the  meeting 
of  the  officers  was  held,  hftving  ord-rs  to  land  Lieutenant  Shaaff,  Fourth  infantry, 
with  twenty  men,  at  Semiahmoo,  as  a  personal  guard  for  Mr.  Campbell. 

—  15  — 


■SAN      JUAN      AND      SECESSION 


PERSISTENT     FALSE     HISTORY. 

There  are  r.iany  statements  published  as  history  of  Washington  that  are 
wholly  groun^ess;  there  are  two  of  them  so  often  asserted  that  they  are  accepted 
as  reliable  and  likely  to  crystallize  into  history.  One  persistently  states  that  Dr. 
Marcus  Whitman,  by  riding  through  midw^inter's  storms  and  snow,  1842-43,  to 
Washington  City,  saved  Oiegon  from'  the  British,  while  the  fact  remains  that 
nearly  1,000  emigrants  had  arrived  in  the  country  (1.S42)  before  the  doctor  had 
started.  The  other  is  even  more  persistently  affirmed,  to  the  effect  that  General 
Harney  had  saved  to  the  United  S.tates  the  island  of  San  Juan  from  the  grasp  of 
(ireat  Britain  by  his  timely  occupation,  and  the  gallant  conduct  of  Captain 
Pitkett. 

The  military  occupation,  as  a  matter  of  course,  would  be  distasteful  to  (>reat 
Britain,  and  her  minister  in  Washington  City,  immediately  on  hearing  "That 
'.eport  had  reached  the  city  that  troops  of  the  United  States  had  actually  taken 
possession  of  the  island  of  San  Juan,"  demanded  a  prompt  explanation.  And  we 
lc?m  from  his  answer  to  the  explanation: 

"It  is  satisfactory  to  her  majesty's  government  to  learn  as  to  the  past,  that 
CJpneral  Harney  did  not  act  upon  that  occasion  upon  any  order  from  the  United 
States  government,  but  entirely  upon  his  own  responsibility." 

On  the  20th  of  October,  1859,  General  Scott  arrived  first  at  Fort  Vancouver, 
W.  T.,  where  he  found  Captain  Pickett,  judge  advocate,  and  Colonel  Casey,  a 
member  of  the  general  court-martial  in  session  there — made  possible  by  the 
Solferino  incident. 

In  concluding,  I  wish  to  say,  inasmuch  as  General  Harney  is  dead,  and  most 
all  the  officers  connected  with  the  military  occupation,  that  this  compilation  may 
be  like  kicking  a  dead  lion,  but  in  justification  of  it  I  may  refer  to  ex-Secretary 
cf  State  of  Washington  Hon.  Allen  Weir,  who,  twenty  years  ago  or  more,  pub- 
lisl;ed  the  Argus,  in  Port  Townsend,  and  published  a  long  article  by  me  expressing 
the  views  herein,  refuting  his  article  persisting  that  General  Harney  had  saved 
San  Juan  island  to  us,  and  President  Buchanan  and  General  Scott  did  a  gi'aat 
wrong  to  the  general  through  jealousy. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

GRANVILLE     O.     HALLER, 

Colonel   U.   S.   A.,  retired    (Captain  and  Brevet   major.  Commanding  I   Company, 
Fourth  Infantry  and  Fort  Townsend,  Wash.,  in  1859.). 


[Reprinted   from   The   Tacoma    Sunday    Letlger    of    January    19,    1890.] 


